The New Year is an exciting time full of tradition and celebration all around the world. In Fayetteville, one of the most beloved traditions is the annual Black-eyed Pea Dinner. This free meal first began in the 1970’s with Ottis Jones, the Sheriff at the time, and Willis Brown, a lawyer. The men wanted to give back to the community. The tradition took a hiatus in 1987 when Jones died. However, it made a strong comeback in 1994 when Lee Warren, the county Register of Deeds and former State Rep. Owen Spears revived the tradition that they remembered fondly from their childhoods. In fact, this has been a tradition for many in the Fayetteville community. It is common to see familiar faces of families that have been celebrating the New Year this way for decades. The food is delicious and the camaraderie is even better. It happens at the Crown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

This free meal is a popular way to celebrate the New Year with friends and family. Volunteers begin cooking early in the morning to feed an expected crowd of around 3,000 people. The community dinner is only possible because of the community members who come together to support it. Hundreds of volunteers pitch in every year to make this wonderful meal happen. 

A central aspect of the annual meal is the menu. It always consists of barbecue pork, collards, corn bread and black-eyed peas. It is a traditional meal of southern comfort food, but these dishes also have superstitious significance for ushering in the New Year. The pork is supposed to represent progress because pigs root forward as they eat.  The leafy green collards are supposed to represent paper money and eating them is meant to encourage a year full of prosperity and wealth. Additionally, the color Green is supposed to symbolize hope and growth. On a similar note, the black-eyed peas are supposed to bring prosperity and luck as well because they represent coins. They are also known as a very hearty and drought-resistant crop so they should bring resilience and perseverance into the New Year. 

The free meal is open to anyone and everyone who would like to celebrate the New Year with the community. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been coming to the dinner for years or this meal is the first. Everyone is invited to enjoy the traditional southern comfort food and, hopefully, the luck that comes with it. However, the meal this year is specifically dedicated to First Responders. These community heroes constantly sacrifice their own comfort and safety to help others in their most vulnerable moments. First responders include police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians among others. A few extra black-eyed peas and collard greens certainly couldn’t hurt. 

The annual Black-eyed Pea  New Year’s Dinner takes place on New Year’s Day at the Crown Expo Center. It is located at 1960 Coliseum Dr. Though the preparation will begin early in the morning, the doors will open at 11 a.m. and plates will be served until 2 p.m.  

What was supposed to be a hallmark of bipartisan support leading to repeal of North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” collapsed last week as state legislators backed out of a deal. The General Assembly voted to adjourn its special session with the law still on the books. Earlier, Charlotte’s City Council held up its part of the arrangement by voting unanimously to rescind its nondiscrimination ordinance under the promise that the legislature would then move to repeal HB2. 

Gov. Pat McCrory then called the legislature back for a special session believing he had the votes to put the controversial measure behind him. But attempts by his own party’s lawmakers to short-circuit the special session began minutes after it opened. House Rules Chairman David Lewis, a Harnett County Republican, said there weren’t enough members of the GOP caucus who support repealing HB2 to approve doing that. Democrats were expecting a clean repeal bill. 

Instead, Sen. Phil Berger, GOP President Pro Tem of the senate, proposed a six-month “cooling-off” period and HB2 would essentially be in effect for another six months. “It’s something that helps us get to a reset,” said Berger. Democrats balked fearing the law would stay on the books indefinitely. “It doubles down on discrimination. It does not repeal HB2,” said Rep. Chris Sgro, a Guilford County Democrat. “It doesn’t help us get the NCAA back, it doesn’t help us get the NBA back. It means North Carolina remains deeply closed for business,” he added.

What started all of this was Charlotte City Council’s passage of a local ordinance that required businesses to allow transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choice. Angry lawmakers and Gov. McCrory warned the state would intervene if it passed. Charlotte enacted the ordinance and legislators called themselves back to Raleigh in March and quickly passed House Bill 2. It requires individuals to use the bathroom, locker room or shower that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificates. The rule applies to state-owned facilities such as university campuses, as well as local government buildings, including schools, courthouses and city halls. It established a statewide nondiscrimination law that does not include LGBT protections. In North Carolina, cities and counties are governed by the state.

Earlier this month, the legislative leadership, Governor McCrory and Governor-Elect Roy Cooper had agreed in an unusual bipartisan display to repeal the law by the end of the year if the Charlotte City Council agreed to roll back most of its local ordinance. Both Cooper and McCrory claimed credit for the agreement and blamed one another for the rancor surrounding the issue. The law had also become a liability for some suburban Republicans, some of whom like Sen. Tamara Barringer, R-Wake, and Rep. Chris Malone, R-Wake, called for repeal during the fall campaign. Exit polls on election day indicated 65 percent of North Carolina voters supported repeal. Businesses and their trade groups have been complaining loudly for months that the measure was costing the state millions of dollars in lost business and jobs. A variety of conventions, concerts and sports tournaments have moved or canceled events scheduled for North Carolina. Of course, groups representing LGBT interests, such as Equality North Carolina and the Human Rights Campaign, also called for repeal ever since the measure was passed.

Dealing with FEMA is a process, one that many local governments say has improved in recent years. But, it does take time to implement emergency relief measures in the wake of storms and other natural disasters. Following Hurricane Matthew on Saturday, Oct. 8, the City of Fayetteville had an advantage over other local jurisdictions. Officials had entered into an agreement with Crowder-Gulf of Mobile, Alabama, several years ago. It’s a disaster support firm capable of providing rapid response to emergencies that require outside support. Within 10 days of the hurricane, three Crowder-Gulf crews rolled into town with large trucks. Before long, five more double units joined the effort. 

Fayetteville’s emergency response  began overnight on Oct. 8. FAST buses drove through neighborhoods, taking residents impacted by flooding to shelters. PWC emergency crews began the massive task of restoring electricity to 40,000 homes. They did so in less than three days. On Sunday, Oct. 9, crews from the Parks and Street Departments began clearing downed trees and other debris from city streets. 

Environmental Services followed with what would be a massive task of collecting the debris. “Six city crews and trucks equipped with large claws began doing what they could to gather trees and other debris,” said Interim Environmental Services Director James Rhodes. 

Cumberland County government didn’t have the advantage of a prearranged storm team on call. It had to start the process from scratch. “We have tried to assure residents who had storm debris that we would hire contractors as soon as possible,” said county spokesperson Sally Shutt, but it took two months. 

Staff created requests for proposals and then solicited contractors. Weeks later, County Commissioners authorized the County Manager to execute the contracts. But then came legal and procurement reviews. Once the draft contracts were completed, they were submitted to two chosen companies for their review, all of this according to Assistant County Manager Tracy Jackson. 

Then came more planning and a schedule for the debris pick-up. “Staff proceeded cautiously and methodically with the advice of legal and our disaster recovery consultant to retain reputable contractors who could do the debris removal work quickly, safely, and according to state and FEMA regulations,” Jackson said. For the most part, unincorporated areas of the county have been serviced by now.  

It was a much bigger undertaking for city government. All 148 square miles of the city were either inundated by flood waters and/or overrun with debris from fallen trees and branches plus all the mess stirred up from flood waters. Scouts travelled the entire city, time and again, to make sure truckers had been or were scheduled everywhere. They told officials they drove 5,000 miles. “Debris collection teams have made as many as three passes in some neighborhoods,” said spokesperson Jackie Tuckey. Crowder-Gulf staff stayed in close touch with the environmental services team. “We met every day to exchange information,” Tuckey added. 

Construction of demolition scrap from damaged homes and buildings also had to be picked up. “That material went to the county landfill, while vegetative debris was taken to a temporary site off S. Reilly Rd. where it was ground into mulch.”  As of mid-December, 65,000 cubic yards of debris had been collected. To put that in perspective, a cubic yard of debris is about the size of a Volkswagon Beetle.

Crowder-Gulf crews are on holiday break until Jan. 2, when they hope to wrap up the massive undertaking. “We’ve done fairly well, said Rhodes. “We’ve worked well together.” No one is willing to make an educated guess what the project is costing. FEMA allows up to 180 days for reimbursement. Communities are compensated by FEMA at a higher rate of 85 percent of actual cost during the first two months. 

A fledgling civic activist group notes that “a couple of weeks ago, some people were talking about metro policing on social media.” It’s a concept whereby community law enforcement is unified under one agency. The Cumberland Community Awareness Network is surveying residents on their opinions regarding metro policing via emails and social media. CumberlandCAN is a non-partisan public awareness forum. 

In North Carolina, only two counties have adopted the unified idea, most notably Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The police department is a countywide force and the sheriff’s office has been reduced to performing only its constitutional duties. It’s done differently in Jacksonville, Fla. Fifty years ago, residents there voted for metro government, but the sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer. The police department patrols all of Duvall County but it’s part of the sheriff’s office. You can take the survey on the Cumberland Community Awareness Networks page on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local Thoroughfares to Be Widened

Some busy local roads are included in the N.C. Department of Transportation’s draft of a 10-year plan to be released next month. The plan includes plans for DOT’s Division Six for the years 2018 through 2027. “The new funding formula allows us to make smart decisions that keep North Carolina moving and these projects demonstrate the process is working as intended,” said Gov. Pat McCrory. DOT Division Six, headquartered in Fayetteville, includes Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties. Projects include widening of Ramsey Street, Bunce Road, Cliffdale Road and Camden Road to multiple lanes. Under the new funding formula, projects are evaluated based on a combination of data and local input, rather than politics. A complete list of projects can be found at NCDOT.gov/STI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beware the Speed Humps

Residents of McPhee Drive in the Highland Village neighborhood are happy with a project designed to slow traffic down. Over the years, McPhee has become a shortcut off McBain Dr. between Pinecrest Dr. and Raeford Rd. The belief by many is that McPhee is faster because it avoids a stop sign before arriving at Raeford Rd. Not any longer though. Early this month, the city installed a pair of speed humps along McPhee. They’re designed to slow traffic down to the 25 mph speed limit, says City Engineer Lee Jernigan. Motorists may want to reconsider using McBain Dr. because its speed limit is 35 mph. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tillis on GOP’s Need to Exercise Caution

North Carolina’s junior U.S. Senator is vowing to work across the aisle in the next Congress. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis says he wants his party in Washington to exercise caution in interpreting its mandate from voters in November. He makes his point by noting the outcome of North Carolina’s gubernatorial race. “The electorate of North Carolina really is a microcosm of the U.S. electorate,” he said. Tillis seemed to refer to Governor Pat McCrory’s support of House Bill 2 saying that the Tar Heel State is “barely right-of-center. When you wade too far into some of the more controversial social issues, you begin to see an increasing amount of opposition.” McCrory was defeated by Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper.

Some friends of mine are brand new parents of a healthy baby boy. They are beyond thrilled, and by all accounts of those who have visited the newly expanded family, his newly arrived majesty is giving his mommy and daddy quite a workout. When he is up, so are they, and when he is down, the respite cannot last long enough. 

These happy parents have dreams for their long-awaited child, as all parents do. We all want our children to be healthy, happy, productive and fulfilled at every stage of their lives. We are all humbled as we discover over time that the world will treat our Precious Jewels as roughly and as kindly as it treats everyone else. Some of our dreams for them will come true and others will be cruelly dashed on the rocks of daily living.

There is no template for raising children into the adults we want them to be, but there is plenty of free advice floating around. One article that resonated with me lately in Business Insider addresses mental strength, sometimes thought of as resilience. Entitled “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do,” and as I think about the people I know and love, some are more resilient than others. 

Here are some of those things that will give our children the framework for lives well lived.

Mentally strong people don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves. We all have the occasional pity party, but it is ultimately a waste of time. We are stronger if we are grateful for what is positive in our lives instead of dwelling on what is not.

Mentally strong people face the inevitable changes in life squarely. They may be afraid, but they understand that what Eleanor Roosevelt said is true. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” If you do not, they just get harder and more intimidating, and others will leave you behind.

Mentally strong people focus on what they can control, not on what they cannot. ‘Nuff said.

Mentally strong people understand that risk is part of life and that taking calculated risks is a way to grow. They assess risks and often decide to move ahead, knowing that standing still may actually be moving backward.

Mentally strong people look forward, not back. No one can change the past if it is negative, nor remain there if it is positive. We can only reflect on what we have learned and move forward.

Mentally strong people, if they are not exactly happy for other people’s success, at least do not resent it. Resentment is toxic, damaging you and keeping you from focusing on what is good for you.

Mentally strong people do not give up the first time they fail. I recently heard the founder of Spanx, now a billionaire, say that her father would ask her each week how she had failed. He praised her for her failures, and she realized only in adulthood that he was teaching her that failure is a part of life and getting her accustomed to it so that she could keep going.

Mentally strong people welcome time alone. The only person who will walk every step of life with you is you - not your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your friends. Learning to love and trust yourself and to enjoy your own company is affirming and restoring.

And finally, mentally strong people do not think the world owes them anything. Life is not fair, and some of us are more successful in all sorts of ways than others. Dwelling on this cold, hard fact of life gets us nowhere and diverts us from what we can and should be doing.

As the mother of three Precious Jewels, now young adults, I understand how challenging parenting is and that it is never really over. My young friends snuggling with their infant this holiday season will know that someday, too, but for now, I wish them a warm and peaceful Christmas with their newly-expanded family. I also offer them and other young parents one more piece of advice learned through decades of mothering through times both wonderful and difficult.

Try to say “yes” more often than “no.” Sometimes, especially with young children, it is easier to say “no” and do a task yourself than allowing time for small hands and inexperienced minds to figure out what to do and how to do it. But unless it is a matter of safety, “yes” often means learning, and “no” means shutting something down. I hope they remember as well that all parents make mistakes—certainly this one has and continues to err. But also know that only the most traumatic mistakes leave deep wounds. The ones made in good faith are learning experiences for everyone.

I attach a photo of a pillow that sits on my bed everyday.

It pretty much says it all about being a parent.

2017. Believe me, I’m ready. Judging from all the calls, emails and countless social media posts, our readers had a very Merry Christmas. And, for the most part, residents throughout Fayetteville and Cumberland County are excited about the future prospects in store for our community. And we should be. The seeds of growth, economic development and a better quality of life have all been planted. 

Now, city and county leadership need to take aggressive and affirmative action to make sure these local life-changing projects stay on track. Elected officials and city and county staff all need to be at the top of their game. Initiative, hard work and leadership will be vitally important in the months to come. In the words of the late General George S. Patton Jr.: “Lead me, follow me or get the hell out of my way.” This should be the battlecry and motto adopted countywide. It will be interesting to see who steps up. 

One thing is for sure, Fayetteville is a community full of opportunity. The challenge is knowing how to capitalize on it. So, my hope for the New Year is that aggressive leaders will seek out the people, businesses and organizations that can help us realize our dreams, thus contributing to this growing vibrant community. Here are just a few of the organizations poised to take this community to new heights,  starting with your favorite weekly community newspaper:

Up & Coming Weekly

Chamber of Commerce

City of Fayetteville

County of Cumberland

FTCC

CEED

Reeve’s School of Business

Fayetteville Economic Development

FSU Entrepreneurial Center

Better Business Bureau

These are just to name a few organizations ready, willing and able to help take our community to new heights. In other words, the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community has the will and all the resources necessary to help individuals and businesses develop, strive and survive, along with the willingness  to “help those who help themselves.”

2017 is going to be an exciting and awesome year. So, buckle your seat belts folks, because, if executed properly, our progress will be fast and furious. And, you can count on us to be right in the center of it. Happy New Year! And, as always, thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

This is Fayetteville FireAntz Coach Jeff Bes’ second season with the team. Fifteen games into the season, the team has seven wins, seven losses and one overtime loss. With three home games before the end of the year, FireAntz fans have several opportunities to come out and support the team. The games are on Dec. 23, 27 and 31 at the Crown. And in true FireAntz fashion, they’ve added a twist to keep things interesting. 

Theme nights are a longstanding tradition with the Antz and this year is no exception. “Ugly Holiday Sweater Night is Dec. 23, Mascot Night is Dec. 27 and we’re ringing in the New Year on Dec. 31,” said Allie Focke Crown marketing director. “Also, Ladies Night is Jan. 7 and all Ladies’ Tickets are $5.”

As far as the game goes, fans will see some new faces on the ice. “Some changes were made at end of November as we felt the team needed a couple more experienced players to help mold and guide our young core in the right direction both on and off the ice,” said Coach Jeff Bes. “We’re excited about what the new year is going to bring, we feel we have a good group moving forward and players that are excited to be here and represent the Fayetteville FireAntz.” 

 The FireAntz have played three of their last five contests against first place Macon Mayhem and all three have been a dogfight until the final buzzer. With new acquisitions, Bobby Chaumont and Jake Hauswirth leading the charge the past few games, along with veterans Graeme Strukoff and Stephen Hoshaw playing strong on the back end, the FireAntz seem to be in full gear at this point in the season as they continue to climb in the standings. The FireAntz are back in action this Friday, Dec. 23 to take on Macon, next Tuesday, Dec. 27 against Roanoke, and Saturday, Dec. 31 vs. Macon to close out 2016 home games.  For all December home games, patrons can purchase one adult ticket, and get one youth ticket for children 12 and under. 

 “Our goal right now as a team is to play consistent hockey each and every night. Come work hard, be accountable and enjoy what we are doing because we are among a select few that can say we are professional hockey players. If we do these things, we will give ourselves an opportunity to win on a daily basis,” said Bes.

The FireAntz belong to the Southern Professional Hockey League. Find out more about the team and its upcoming games at www.crowncomplexnc.com.

 

Answers To Some Basic Hockey Questions...

What is the puck made of?

The puck is made of solid vulcanized rubber, three inches in diameter and one inch thick. It is frozen before entering play to make it “bounce” resistant. It weighs about six ounces.

How fast does the puck travel?

Some slapshooters propel the puck between 90-100 mph. Speeds up to 120 mph have been recorded by some of the hardest shooters. Compounding the problems for goaltenders, frequently the puck will curve in flight, much like a baseball.

Can a puck be kicked into the net for a goal?

Not intentionally, but a puck can be deflected off a skate or a player’s body if no overt attempt is made to throw or kick it in.

What about deflections?

Many people think that deflections are mere luck. Actually, however, players practice deflections constantly, standing off to the side of the net, or in front, and deflecting the shot from outside to another area of the goal.

How thick is the ice?

The best ice for pro hockey is usually held at 16 degrees Fahrenheit for the proper hardness and is approximately 3/4” thick. A thicker sheet of ice becomes softer and “slower.” Commercial ice shows perform on “warmer, slower” ice.

What are the sticks made of?

Generally, northern white ash or rock elm. The handle is one piece and the laminated blade is affixed to it. Some players have recently gone to shafts made of composites, such as graphite or aluminum.

How are the lines and markers applied to the ice?

The ice is built up to a 1/2” thickness by spraying water over the concrete floor (sometimes sand is used as a base for the floor), which has the freezing pipes embedded. Then the markings are painted on, after which additional water is sprayed to coat the markings and build the ice to the prescribed thickness.

What if an offensive player is in the crease (the blue outline area in front of the nets) as a goal is scored?

A goal may be scored even if the goal scorer is in the crease under his own power, provided he is not interfering with the goaltender in any way.

Who gets credit for an assist?

The last player or players (not more than two) to touch the puck prior to the scoring of a goal.

How big is the rink?

The standard size is 200’ by 85’. Occasionally, some professional rinks vary slightly in size.

Are all sticks alike

Far from it. Just as baseball players have their individually personalized bats, so too do hockey players have their “patterned” sticks. Flexibility, lie (blade angle), weight, etc., vary from player to player.

How big is the goal?

The goal is six feet wide by four feet tall, curving from one to three feet deep. Pins anchor it to the ice.

What is the hardest shot to stop?

The toughest shot is low (a few inches off the ice) to the stick side. Often goaltenders will “cheat” to the stick side, presenting more net to their glove side (the easiest to protect).

Who calls the penalties - the referee or the linesman?

The referee calls penalties and has the ultimate responsibility for allowing (or disallowing) goals, even naming the goal-scorer if a question arises. The linesmen concentrate mainly on calling offsides and icing. A linesman may call a misconduct penalty or ask the referee to hand one out if he thinks it is justified.

Why doesn’t the referee act more quickly to stop fights?

There are several reasons. For one, he is observing who should receive penalties for the infractions. His primary responsibilities are to stay healthy, penalize participants accordingly, and return order and control to the game in progress.

What if the puck is stopped or stops on the goal line?

There is no score. The puck must completely clear the goal line between the posts to be counted as a goal.

What is a “hat trick”?

The term is now applied to a player scoring three goals in a single game. Originally, it stood for three consecutive goals with none scored in between by either team. The term is borrowed from cricket. In England in 1858, a bowler (like the pitcher) took three wickets from consecutive balls, an incredible trick. As a reward, his club gave him a new hat, hence the name.

http://antzhockey.pointstreaksites.com/view/fireantz

City Council and the Houston Astros baseball club have signed a 30-year lease agreement for a Single-A minor league baseball team in Fayetteville. Astros Team President Reid Ryan and Mayor Nat Robertson signed the deal following formal council action in city hall. “This has been a very enjoyable process,” said Ryan. “We’re in this for the long haul,” he added. He’s the son of baseball hall of famer Nolan Ryan who once played with the Astros. The Fayetteville team will be joining the Carolina League along with a new Texas Rangers minor league club in Kinston. Both teams are moving to North Carolina from California.

City Manager Doug Hewett told council Fayetteville is “poised to make history” in bringing professional baseball back to the city. “I’m very proud to lead this renaissance that will bring about a quarter million people to our downtown for approximately 70 games a year,” said Robertson.

In separate action earlier, the city voted to retain baseball consultant Jason Freier of Hardball Capitol to oversee development of the $33 million stadium in the center city. Council also approved bond underwriting attorneys who will manage the sale of bonds to finance the stadium. The city hopes to break ground on the ballpark next summer. It will open in the spring of 2019 in time for the baseball season. In the meantime, the Fayetteville team will call Jim Perry Stadium at Campbell University home. 

City Council sees the stadium as a catalyst for economic development in downtown Fayetteville. A $15 million renovation of the former Prince Charles Hotel building is already part of what’s projected to be $100 million worth of investments. The city’s economic and development director, Jim Palenick is on record as saying that upon completion of the projects and realignment of the Bragg Boulevard / Murchsion Road gateway to downtown, Fayetteville will have become a proven market for high-dollar development. “Five years down the road, Fayetteville will be perceived much differently,” he says.

The council’s baseball committee, which spent six months putting the Astros deal together, envisions the stadium as a multi-purpose entertainment facility. It will be designed after a larger stadium owned by Freier in Columbia, S.C., but on a smaller scale. It will feature a 360-degree concourse, outfield berm seating, a large picnic area and, of course, a grandstand. The stadium should accommodate about 4,500 fans.  The playing field will be capable of reconfiguration for soccer and football. Concerts and festivals can also be staged there as envisioned. 

Action by Fayetteville City Council on a private hotel tax deal late last month shouldn’t have taken place, says Councilman Kirk deViere. A request from developers of the Spring Hill Suites Hotel for final action on a request for a rare tax break was heard at council’s Nov. 28 meeting. “The proposal was supposed to go to a council committee for study, and suddenly it appeared on the agenda,” said deViere.  Not only that; the proposal had never been considered by Cumberland County Commissioners. 

“The county board referred the matter back to FCEDC for review,” recalled outgoing board chairman Marshall Faircloth. “Then Russ Rogerson left town to take another job and the issue never came back to the board,” he added.

Rogerson was the local industry hunter when the Spring Hill Suites request for tax breaks was broached last spring. He told the council that without the tax incentives, Springhill Suites would not get built. “He’s full of crap,” said Councilman Bill Crisp. In fact, construction work on the new hotel adjacent to the Embassy Suites had already begun when council decided to grant tax relief. The same company owns both properties on Lake Valley Drive off Yadkin Road. 

“Even though the tax incentive policy is a joint city/county agreement, it doesn’t keep one entity from going it alone,” Faircloth added.

The owners of both local hotels have been granted forgiveness of one-half their property taxes for the first five years. In the case of Spring Hill Suites, it’s not a lot of money — about $87,000 or $17,400 a year. “The project was going to happen with or without the incentive,” said deViere. “Why give incentives to an industry that doesn’t need them? This incentive doesn’t produce jobs,” he added. 

Only two other members of council agreed with him and the request passed 6-3. Crisp and council member Ted Mohn voted with deViere. Mayor Nat Robertson and council members Jim Arp, Mitch Colvin, Bobby Hurst, Kathy Jensen and Larry Wright were in the majority. Councilman Chalmers McDougald was absent. The company got an even bigger tax break when it came before city council six years ago proposing to build the Embassy Suites Hotel. Council was in agreement then that a first-class hotel was needed near Fort Bragg. Forces Command and Reserve Command headquarters had moved to Bragg. 

The new Spring Hill Hotel will add 121 rooms to the local inventory of 6,100. But deViere points out it does not provide the large convention space officials say is needed here. Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin noted that a local group of 400 people took their convention to Raleigh because of a lack of space in Fayetteville.

Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive-Director John Meroski declined to comment on the Spring Hill incentives arrangement but said “I am sure there is some heartburn from other developers and hoteliers. Between 2000 and now, we have grown from 49 hotels/motels, to 76,” he said. 

That’s 1,500 additional rooms, with more on the way. A six-story hotel on Sycamore Dairy Road is under construction. “Occupancy tax collections have grown from $1.2 million to $5.6 million,” Meroski noted, “and tourism is up 54 percent in a decade.” The general rule of thumb, according to the convention and visitors’ bureau, is that hotels will make money with 60 percent occupancy. The current occupancy rate for the last 28 weeks is 73.6 percent, he stated.

Eight to 10 years ago, a subject who became known as the “Ramsey Street Rapist” terrorized Fayetteville’s north side. Detectives continue to investigate the half dozen attacks attributed to the man. None of the cases were cleared with arrests, and police hope new technology will help them solve the crimes.

Matching DNA has been attributed to the same white male who committed at least three of the attacks. And Police Lt. John Somerindyke believes the other three outstanding rapes were also committed by the same subject based on physical descriptions given by his victims. The evidence has been uploaded to the national Combined DNA Index System known as CODIS. “But Fayetteville Police have not received any matches to a particular person,” said Somerindyke who commands the FPD’s Special Victims Unit.

The rapist was described ten years ago as a white male is his 20s to mid 30s. He stood 5’9” to 6’3” tall and weighed as much as 230 pounds, perhaps less. He was described as of average build with short black or dark brown hair. Parabon Nanolabs, Inc., has produced likenesses of the rapist using a technology known as phenotyping. They call their product Snapshot and describe it on their website as “a revolutionary new forensic DNA analysis service that accurately predicts the physical appearance and ancestry of an unknown person from DNA.” Snapshot is ideal for generating investigative leads, narrowing suspect lists and identifying unknown remains.” The company says on its website that “It is possible to reverse-engineer DNA into a physical profile. Snapshot reads tens of thousands of genetic variants (“genotypes”) from a DNA sample and uses this information to predict what an unknown person looks like.”

Here’s how Parabon Nanolabs says the science works: “Using deep data-mining and advanced machine learning algorithms in a specialized bioinformatics pipeline, Parabon — with funding support from the U.S. Department of Defense — developed the Snapshot Forensic DNA Phenotyping System, which accurately predicts genetic ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling and face shape in individuals from any ethnic background, even individuals with mixed ancestry.”

In the case of the Ramsey Street Rapist, the laboratory produced composites with and without facial hair. Two of them are as the subject appeared ten years ago. And using age progression, two show him as he might look today. 

Lt. Somerindyke and SVU Sgt. Kelly Berg are especially passionate about this case. Somerindyke displayed his handcuffs at a news conference, declaring he would put them on the rapist one day. He said, however, the police department has no idea of the rapists’ whereabouts. Forensic and evidentiary information have been made available to law enforcement nationwide, he said. And he went on to say he will add $1,000 of his own money to the reward offered by Crime Stoppers. Somerindyke went so far as to challenge concerned businesspeople to consider adding to the reward fund. 

The Cumberland County Board of Education begins the new year with new leadership, and not everyone is happy about it.  Rather than follow tradition, school board members voted 5-4 to elect Greg West as chairman, rather than current vice chairperson Carrie Sutton. 

“I’m just shocked,” Sutton said. “I’ve worked on this board for eight years, and never have I been in a situation like this…this is so racial.”

“All I can say is, you are wrong,” West said, responding to Sutton’s claims of racially-motivated voting. Board members Peggy Hall, Rudy Tatum, Donna Vann and Susan Williams supported West, who voted for himself. Alicia Chisholm, Porcha McMillan and Judy Musgrave supported Sutton, who voted for herself. West served as chairman most recently in 2014. During the public comments portion of the meeting about a third of the people in the room asked the board to choose Sutton as chairwoman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fayetteville Endorses Civil War Center

Despite City Councilman Ted Mohn’s concerns that the city was rushing into a big money commitment, the council has endorsed the proposed Civil War History Center. The endorsement is a pledge to provide $7.5 million dollars toward construction of the $65 million project. “We’ve got to show leadership,” said Councilman Chalmers McDougald. 

“If we’re earnest about doing this, we need to make a commitment,” added Councilman Jim Arp. President Mac Healy of the History Center Foundation has sought pledges from the city and county, noting that neither body is committed if the state fails to provide a matching contribution of $30 million. State Representative Billy Richardson told council it’s essential that the request be included in the governor’s proposed budget next month. County Commissioners meet next on Jan. 3 and will be asked to match the city’s pledge. The history center would replace the Museum of the Cape Fear in Haymount and would be built on the undeveloped grounds of the historic antebellum Fayetteville Arsenal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NCDOT Accelerates Fayetteville Outer Loop 

The N.C. Department of Transportation is accelerating plans for the Camden Road to I-95 section of the Fayetteville Outer Loop. Officials are developing a design-build contract for the section and the project should be awarded late next year, one year ahead of schedule. That means it can be completed earlier than originally planned. A team composed of a contractor and design firm will complete the design, purchase the right of way, obtain the proper permitting, coordinate utility relocations and construct the project, all under a single contract. DOT says that reduces overall construction time and project cost inflation. Earlier this month another section of the Outer Loop opened between Bragg Boulevard and the All-American Freeway. The entire 39-mile of Future I-295 will be completed by 2025.  

 

 

 

 

Today’s contribution to world literature and tomorrow’s fish wrap will consider historical events that took place on 21 December. The reason for choosing 21 December is that is the day this issue of Up & Coming Weekly was released onto an unsuspecting public. Birthday persons born on 21 December include Thomas a’ Becket born in 1117, the Archbishop of Canterbury; Kurt Waldheim born 1918, a former Nazi who became U.N. Secretary-General; and Frank Zappa born 1940, American musician and dietician. According to astrologers, all three share common traits as they were born on the same day under the sign of Sagittarius the archer. Let us cipher to determine what links these three individuals. 

Thomas a’ Becket teaches us to stay out of cathedrals if you have been arguing with the King of England. Back in the 12th century, the Archbishop of Canterbury was supposed to hold the coronation for the next king. King Henry II had his son Henry the Young King coronated by the Archbishop of York instead of Tom. Tom was highly aggravated and excommunicated the Archbishop of York and anyone else involved in the coronation. King Henry II took offense to Tom’s actions. Henry is reported to have said, “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” While not actually ordering Tom to be whacked, four of Henry’s knights took it as a direction to off Tom. They then murdered him in the cathedral. Thus was born the concept of plausible deniability, which has been used by politicians ever since Tom’s really bad day at work. Another more wordy version of Henry’s frustration with Tom resulted in one of the great insults of the English language: “What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their Lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric? “ Henry II was not much for sugar coating things.

Kurt Waldheim teaches us about a little known medical condition called Waldheimer’s Disease which makes you forget you were a Nazi. Kurt served in the German army in World War II. He was involved in Operation Kozara in 1942, which involved shooting civilian prisoners only a few hundred yards from Kurt’s office. Kurt, apparently situationally hearing impaired, channeled Sergeant Schultz of Hogan’s Heroes and explained he knew nothing about the killings. Kurt went on to become president of Austria and ultimately Secretary-General of the United Nations. Mr. Waldheim is presently spending eternity in a lake of fire as a footstool for Satan. Mr. Waldheim’s legacy lives on in the surprisingly vocal members of the Alt-right neo-Nazis who have risen up from obscurity subsequent to the recent election. 

Frank Zappa was the lead singer and philosopher king of the rock group, Mothers of Invention. Frank was the Marcus Aurelius of the late 1960s. He had opinions about everything. Frank taught us one of the great dietary lessons of all time when he wrote the lyrics, “Watch out where the huskies go/ And don’t you eat that yellow snow.” If you avoid consuming the yellow snow, your breath stays minty fresh. Frank also offered sound vocational advice in his song “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It:” “TV dinner by the pool/ I’m so glad I finished school.”

So, what can we say we have learned from Tom, Kurt and Frank? If you want to keep your head attached to your shoulders, refrain from excommunicating the King’s buddies. Being a Nazi is never having to say you are sorry because you can’t remember wearing a swastika. TV dinners by the pool are better eating than discolored snow. The common denominator seems to be self-improvement tips from each of our birthday boys. 

Other fun facts about Dec. 21. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. The first basketball game was played in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, under the watchful eye of James Naismith. Madam Curie discovered radium in 1898 and died from exposure to radiation in 1934. In 1933, Shirley Temple, at age five, signed her first movie contract with Fox Pictures. 

Perhaps the most significant event that happened on our special day was that the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar reached its end date of 13.0.0.0.0 which led a large number of concerned citizens to believe that the end of the world would occur on Dec. 21, 2012. Fortunately, it turned out that reports of the end of the world had been greatly exaggerated. Despite all the hype, we did not move into Apocalypse Town. The Dow Jones average was 13,190 and on its way up. Life goes on. Merry Christmas.

Christmas is upon us, a sacred day celebrated by Christians around the world and from top to bottom.  It is a time when families and friends come together, and for many of us, the world seems to almost stop for 24 hours or so, as we look inward in both our personal and our spiritual lives.  Many of us renew our faith and enjoy the company of those we love.  The French king Clovis even baptized himself on Christmas Day, 498 AD. 
I would love to have
seen that!

The world does not stop turning, though. 

Even though we may be cocooned in our own little worlds on Christmas Day, the larger world moves along, both Christian and non-Christian.  People are born, marry, live fascinating and meaningful lives, accomplish important and life-changing actions, and depart this world in one faith or another or maybe in none. 

Some of what has happened on Christmas Day over the ages since the occasion was first celebrated on Dec. 25 in 336 AD in Rome is pretty darn interesting.

Remember the famous Emanuel Leutze painting of George Washington crossing the ice-laden Delaware River with a raised American flag?  That crossing, whatever it really looked like, happened on Christmas Day, 1776.

On Christmas Day nearly a century later, in 1868, then-President Andrew Johnson, a native North Carolinian born in Raleigh, granted an unconditional pardon to everyone who participated in the unsuccessful Southern rebellion that eventually became the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history.  Remembering this and more is why the North Carolina Civil War History Center must be built in our community. 

Christmas Day 1964 saw George Harrison’s girlfriend attacked by female Beatles fans, and on Christmas Day 1991, Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev took to television to announce his resignation as the last leader of a communist superpower that had already passed from existence.  Go figure.

It is hard to believe that the internet that I take for granted, and through which some of you will read this, took its first test run on Christmas Day 1990.  This was the day the world’s first web server, info.cern.ch, was up and running, courtesy of the tech wizards at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.  What would any of us do without it now?

On Christmas Day 2010, the first snowfall in 128 years hit Atlanta, affecting 500 flights in and out of that city’s massive airport.  I suspect some of us in this military community remember that mess well.

While many of us are enjoying Christmas activities on Dec. 25, some of us are doing the expected on an unexpected day.  One of my close friends was born on Christmas Day, which she says meant both Santa and a birthday cake.  She is not alone, sharing her birthday with Jimmy Buffett, born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and Annie Lennox in Scotland.  Other Christmas babies include Sissy Spacek, Karl Rove and Fantasia.

The 19th century saw many Christmas Day weddings, mostly because it was one of the few days people were not expected to work.  Saturday seems to be the preferred wedding day in the 21st century, probably for the same reason, but people do wed on Christmas Day.  They include Thomas Edison, Cary Grant, comics hero Dick Tracy and, reportedly, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.  Sadly, we all know how that turned out.  Conversely, iconic actor John Wayne got a Christmas Day divorce.

And, people do leave us on Christmas Day.  Notables who did so include W.C. Fields in 1946 (alcoholism), Charlie Chaplin in 1977 (old age), Dean Martin in 1995 (respiratory failure), Jon Benet Ramsey, aged 6 (murder-still unsolved) and James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, in 2006 (heart failure).

I do not expect to marry on Christmas Day, and I certainly do not hope to pass into the great beyond on Dec. 25.  I hope for myself and my family the same warm and wonderful day that I wish for you and your family.  May your holidays be filled with food, family, friends and the joy of being together.  

I close with the words of America’s Apollo 8 astronauts who spent Christmas Eve 1968 orbiting the moon, the first human beings to do so.  In one of the most watched television broadcasts in history, the astronauts closed with this, “Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”

Last week I wrote about a crazy holiday situation involving Macy’s department store, Cross Creek Mall, the Salvation Army and the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club, which is a 96-year-old Fayetteville civic organization. At the time, it appeared that the Kiwanis’ 40-year-old tradition of supporting the Salvation Army by ringing the kettle bell inside Cross Creek Mall was breached when they were told they could not ring the bell at Macy’s mall entrance where the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree is located. This sent the disappointed Kiwanis Club to the front entrance of Sam’s club where they actually collected $1,400 in their red kettle. Well, as it turned out, this entire situation was just one of those cases of poor communication and holiday confusion. The good news? All is well in Whosville! It turns out that Macy’s supports the Salvation Army nationwide. Angel Trees, bell ringers and red kettles are collectively welcomed and showcased in over 800 Macy’s department stores across the country. I received a personal letter and phone call from Shannon Smith, marketing director for Cross Creek Mall. Smith, representing the mall owners, CBL Properties, confirmed that local Mall Manager Sam Billingsley and CBL were totally unaware of the “kettle confusion.” Smith also assured the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club that there would always be a place for them and the Salvation Army inside their property. And that, is wonderful news! So, this being the case, we want to extend a very special thank you to Macy’s, CBL Properties, Cross Creek Mall, the Salvation Army and the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club for working together to maintain this 41-year-old tradition (with an asterisk*). This year, the work of the Salvation Army has taken on an extra-special meaning because of the ravages of Hurricane Mathew that displaced so many of our friends and neighbors. Some of them still have not recovered. The Salvation Army is working hard to meet the needs of these residents. Despite their best efforts and the generosity of local businesses, organizations and community neighbors like The Dirty Dozen, the Bill Shaw Skye Drive gang and hundreds of caring individuals, this year’s donations are still critically down. So, please, give generously. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. *Thank you, Sam’s Club!

We drive by and around them every day, no matter where we are in town it seems. Roadway medians! They’re barriers of all shapes and designs, some nicely landscaped, others concrete monstrosities.  They’re not new, but they’ve been popping up everywhere. A new grassy center median stretches along Bragg Boulevard from the Martin Luther King Freeway to Ames Street, and that’s just the beginning. It will eventually extend from Glenville Avenue to Stamper Road. That work is underway now. DOT is finishing up another center median along Rowan Street between Ray Avenue and Green Street. Both medians are linked to the Rowan Street Bridge replacement project, which is about to begin, said DOT District Construction Engineer Randy Wise. “The cost of the project is $1,135,816.28,” he added. Once the concrete islands are in along Bragg Boulevard, the section from Barrington Cross to the Martin Luther King Freeway bridge will be resurfaced. 

Officials concede that this kind of construction can be disruptive for businesses. “Fast food places and convenience stores tend to suffer greater business losses than other retail outlets,” said DOT Regional Traffic Engineer David Phipps. “We’re in the convenience business and it makes us inconvenient,” said Louis Cox, president of Holt Oil Company, which owns the Liberty gas station on Rowan Street. “I’ve had to cut staff hours because of at least a 25 percent loss of gasoline sales,” he added. A Hardees Restaurant in an accident-prone area of Ramsey Street fell victim, in part, to a big median project. “We closed that particular Hardees about two years ago because of disappointing sales and it being in an older area that had diminished somewhat,” said Rick Rountree spokesman for Boddie-Noell Enterprises. “In general, our company has found road medians rarely make for better business. Overall, there probably wasn’t one single reason behind our decision but instead a combination of all three,” Rountree added. 

“We understand during the construction and immediately following completion there are impacts to business,” reiterated Peggy Beach, spokesman for the Department of Transportation.

“Once people get used to it, things get back to normal,” said John Kanos who owns the Rainbow Restaurant on Ramsey Street. At least that was his experience. Several years ago, Ramsey Street from Tokay and Country Club Drives to the Outer Loop overpass lost its center turn lane to a massive, miles-long median. Peter Pappas, who owns the Baldino’s Giant Jersey Subs shop near the busy intersection of Ramsey and Tokay agrees. “We were down up to 30 percent during and immediately after construction, but the traffic accidents pretty much came to a stop afterwards.” DOT says that’s why the median was installed. 

The state spent $3.4 million to “construct concrete islands, elevated medians, directional crossovers and other channelization to reduce the amount of uncontrolled cross movements,” along Ramsey Street according to the project description provided by DOT. The result was impressive. The state conducted two three-year analyses of traffic crashes along the corridor, one of them before construction began; the other from July 2012 through September 2015. The 53-page report  emphasizes what are classified by DOT as Target Crashes; those which included angle, left turn, sideswipe and rear-end mishaps when there was a center turn lane and those that occurred after median construction.  The analysis took into account vehicles that disregarded the median and were involved in U-turn crashes at designated median openings. Each crash was independently verified. One hundred eighty-one Target Crashes occurred during the three-year period before the median was built. Only 18 took place thereafter for a 90 percent reduction. Overall, auto accidents were reduced by 31 percent. The study disclosed that dozens of accidents between Tokay Drive and Andover Road were reduced to only two because of the presence of the median. 

City Councilwoman Kathy Jensen, who represents the area and has a business on Ramsey said she “loves the medians. They have made getting in and out of traffic from businesses and neighborhoods easier and safer.”  

Emergency vehicles

 “Typically, the medians are designed to be mountable by emergency vehicles,” said Fayetteville Traffic Engineer Lee Jernigan.  He notes the center turn lane was often used by emergency vehicles to negotiate busy traffic, “Overall, though, the theory is that the medians will reduce accidents, which in turn reduces the occurrences necessary for a response by emergency vehicles.”  

“We have not seen any impact that affected our response times and service deliveries negatively, but we have adjusted our routes accordingly,” commented Fire Chief Ben Major. 

Safety medians were recently built along N. Eastern Boulevard and Grove Street. DOT says they were urgently-needed safety installations to reduce accidents involving pedestrians and to discourage jay walking. Well-marked crosswalks and improved signage accompanied the road work. The latest large project is along Owen Drive west of Cumberland Road, with improvements being made past Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Like Ramsey Street, restricted, directional crossovers prevent multi-car accidents. The Owen Drive median project is coupled with a federally-funded sidewalk construction program. “It’s a classic example of improving traffic safety with its 60,000 cars a day,” said Phipps. 

Nearly two miles of sidewalks will be built from S. Eastern Boulevard (US 301) to the All-American Expressway at Old Owen Drive. The $549,000 project won’t get underway until the summer of next year, according to DOT, but it has been funded. Eighty percent of the money is provided by the federal government. The city will pay the other 20 percent or $112,000. “This will be a great project to improve pedestrian connectivity along one of the highest traveled corridors in the city,” said Jernigan. Construction is estimated to take from six to eight months.

DOT plans call for a median resembling the Ramsey Street project on Raeford Road to stretch from Robeson Street in the Highland Village area all the way to 71st High School. Land acquisition begins next year with construction scheduled for 2018, said Burns. It’s been a part of the local Transportation Improvement Plan for several years and was recommended by the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. 

For some people, the Christmas season is not complete without a performance of Handel’s Messiah (Part the First) and the Hallelujah Chorus. On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Cumberland Oratorio Singers presents Messiah Sing! at St. Ann Catholic Church. It’s a years-long tradition that the performers and the audience both look forward to each holiday season.

 “I think hearing Messiah ‘live’ is a powerful moment, with experiencing ‘Hallelujah!’ firsthand, it is a wonderful part of the Christmas season. If someone has not done this, they should do it at least once,” said Michael Martin, COS director. “Also, the majority of the musicians in the room are from Fayetteville! How great it is to know that we harbor such magnificent talent to bring this music to life.”

The concert opens with seven pieces, which are performed by the Campbellton Youth Chorus and the COS. Then after a small break, the COS will perform the first part of Messiah, along with “Hallelujah!” from the second part. In addition, the program includes four professional soloists: Anne Rogers and Brenda Vandervort (both from Fayetteville), Melvin Ezzell from Wilmington, and Jeffery Jones, from Myrtle Beach, S.C.

One of the things that makes this concert so special is its inclusiveness. The community is invited to a walk on performance of the “Hallelujah!” sing. To participate, people must have their own copy of Messiah and have it in a black cover or folder. If people would like to walk in at the concert and sing, they will be directed to sit in a designated area for people who wish to sing along. That way, they do not end up standing in front of people who wish to simply watch and listen.

For Martin, this is a fun performance. “Honestly, the best part of the concert is performing ‘Hallelujah!’ And I really enjoy getting to meet the soloists and work with an orchestra. Don’t get me wrong; I feel like I have the best seat in the house at every one of our concerts! But in this case, we probably utilize more people from every walk of life that want to be in the mix of our event. From professional singer/performer to the new singer/performer, we have it all,” he said. “But if you ask what is the best thing about this and every COS concert? It is that the idea of community needs to be preserved. Fayetteville, for as large as it is, actually feels more like a small town settled in a very big area. Our choir is Fayetteville’s community chorus and we want to preserve that as a basic premise of our mission. Our version of this event is much less formal than other organizations. In some of those events, people arrive in period dress to sing the piece. We do not, so I guess that we are a bit more casual about it. It’s fun and is a standard event throughout America.”

Martin noted that the COS is still accepting members.”The preparations for our March concert, ‘The Teacher and The Student’ will feature the music of Britten and Vaughn Williams. Our final concert of the year will be in May as we feature John Rutter’s ‘Gloria, and other music accompanied by brass, percussion, and organ. People will also want to stay tuned for what is becoming a summer tradition of the COS performing prior to the North Carolina Symphony at Festival Park in July,” he said.

The Messiah Sing starts at 7:30 p.m. Find out more at: http://www.singwithcos.org.

If Christmas is  your favorite time of the year, there is no shortage of events to attend.  And if a good display lights up your heart, don’t miss “Christmas Lights at Denton Ridge” on December 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

“This is our 7th year that we are opening and we have many new things to see this year,” said Deborah Denton, co-owner of Denton Ridge. “We have a Loch Ness monster in our pond that we call 

Lynosaurus because my husband’s name is Lyn and he designed it.” Denton added that he is green with a red Santa hat on and the reflection off of the water makes it look outstanding.  

The property has over 100,000 Christmas lights. “We started putting up lights in September and continue to put them up right to the last minute,” said Denton. “We have a five-star rating on Christmas Lights at Denton Ridge on our Facebook page.”   

The event features pony rides for children 10 years old and younger, Santa and his shop, snacks for sale, a live Nativity scene, face painting for the kids, an old country store, a novelty shop, an old-timey wash house and meat house, farm equipment on display, a woodcarver, two blacksmiths and a tram ride on the property to view the beautiful lights and sights. “The snacks include hot chocolate, coffee, apple cider, Hoop cheese, molasses cookies, popcorn and other goodies,” said Denton.  “Bring your cell phones and cameras and take all the pictures you would like with Santa.” Denton added that there are all kinds of animals such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, peacocks, goats, donkeys, horses and others.  

     “We have a country western band in the barn every night,” said Denton.  “It is Charles Carlisle and he has four other guys in the band with him.”  Denton added that they have a big barn where the band will play and participants will sit on the benches and enjoy the music.  

“We would like for everyone to come out and enjoy the fun, music and lights,” said Denton. 

Ticket cost is $10 for adults and free for children ages 3 and under. Denton Ridge is located at 10501 Ramsey Street in Linden, NC.  For more information call 273-3071.   

If you haven’t seen Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, you have a few more chances this weekend. Get your tickets now because you don’t want to miss this show.

An annual tradition that kicks off the holiday season in Fayetteville, the BCPE has been running 26 years at CFRT. That’s probably because it is as much fun for the performers as it is for the audience.

As I was leaving a recent performance, a member of the Angel Choir chatted with her Dad as they walked behind us to their car. “My head hurts, my feet hurts, my stomach hurts, but I love the Christmas Pageant!”

There is something to be said about suffering for her art, I suppose. The Angel Choir, the Shepherds and the adorable Baby Angels were fantastic. One little sheep in particular caught the attention of the entire audience when he made a point to scan the crowd for his parents.

There are three casts rotating the performances: red, green and yellow. I saw a performance by the red cast. Only three roles are performed by the same actors in all three casts: Megan E. Ray as Mrs. Grace Bradley, Greta Marie Zandstra as Ms. Bradley and Bo Thorp as Mrs. Armstrong.

The play, written by Barbara Robinson and based on her 1971 book, introduces us to the Herdman kids. The Herdmans run around misbehaving and causing a ruckus all over town. Kids fear them and adults don’t want to deal with them.

Grace Bradley (Megan E. Ray) is suddenly charged with directing the local church Christmas pageant when Mrs. Armstrong (played on video by Bo Thorp) is recovering from an injury. Grace is ready for almost anything until the Herdmans show up and intimidate their way into the lead roles for the pageant. What follows is a lesson in tolerance and compassion and more than a little frustration. Along the way, Grace teaches the Herdmans the Christmas story, and their interpretation is enough to rile up just about everyone. 

Ray delivers a quality performance as the exasperated Grace. She expertly portrays the commitment and frustration that many of us have felt this time of year as we wrangle a rowdy bunch of youngsters and juggle responsibilities. Ray makes sure Grace Bradley comes off as a cross between Wonder Woman and MacGyver.

Her sidekick in this year’s BCPE is not the usual Mr. Bradley, her husband. CFRT tweaked the storyline a bit this year so that the Bradley’s are a military family with Dad deployed. It is a common situation for many families in the Fayetteville area. Lucky for Grace and the audience, her sister-in-law comes to help. Greta Marie Zandstra brings Ms. Bradley to life as the sounding board and helping hand for Grace who juggles rowdy kids, unhappy parents and advice to cancel the pageant. Last seen on the CFRT stage in Henry V, Zandstra is energetic and fun to watch.  

Another fun addition to this year’s performance is the return of Bo Thorp playing Mrs. Armstrong. This year, we see Thorp on video, Facetime-ing with Grace, giving instructions and advice and generally reminding the audience how much it misses seeing her on the CFRT stage.

Also a treat for the audience is the chance to see the six delinquent Herdmans in action - Imogene, Claude, Ralph, Leroy, Ollie and Gladys. Anyone who has seen BCPE more than once has a favorite Herdman. This year, it was hard to pick between Imogene (played by Sydney Dukic) and Gladys (played by Ruth Lahl) in the red cast. Both young actresses brought their characters to life on stage with vitality and originality. And although BCPE director Molly Malone says all three casts are fantastic, it is hard to imagine a cuter Gladys with more spunk than Lahl. 

Malone deserves kudos for directing this year’s BCPE, and continuing the tradition of providing fun, family-friendly entertainment to Fayetteville audiences. 

BCPE runs through Dec. 18. The CFRT box office is open Monday – Saturday from 1 – 6 p.m. Ticket are $10 for children and $15 for adults. Visit www.cfrt.org or call 910.323.4233 for more information.

The City of Fayetteville has recorded 31 homicides this year. That’s the most ever in one year. The most recent murder victim was Amanda Williams, 37, of Berwick Drive in the Ponderosa neighborhood. She was stabbed to death by the man police shot and killed moments after her sons, ages 9 and 11, jumped out of a window and ran next door to get help. Mark Anthony Hicks, 31, was Williams’ boyfriend, according to police. He was shot when he lunged at officers seconds after they forced entry into the house, said Interim Police Chief Anthony Kelly. Five officers entered the house and found the woman on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood, said Kelly. 

They told Hicks several times to drop the knife he was holding. One of the officers fired his stun gun, but Kelly said it had no effect. As they attempted to handcuff Hicks, he lunged at the policemen “nearly striking one of the officers,” added the chief. That’s when he was shot. “We have not released how many officers fired their weapons,” said police spokesman Lt. Todd Joyce, but three of the five were placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an SBI investigation. They are Officers Jason Beldon, William Byloff and Justin Waller. Suspensions are standard in officer-involved deaths.

The brothers are now in the custody of their fathers, said the police chief. “We want to do something for the children for Christmas,” he added, noting that the boys witnessed their mother being murdered. He described the scene as graphic. He said at some point, detectives will have to question the children as to precisely what they saw. 

“Ma’am, my mother got stabbed by her boyfriend,” the older brother told the 911 dispatcher. Police released audio of the 911 calls. Hicks also called the police, admitting on the phone that he had killed someone, and apologizing. “I’m so sorry, I’m at their house and I’m so sorry,” he said.

Much of the situation was recorded by the officers’ body cameras. But Kelly told Up & Coming Weekly the videos are not 100 percent conclusive because the field of vision does not include footage of the officers’ side arms being fired. The video, by law, can only be released to the public by order of a Superior Court judge, said Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West. Chief Kelly indicated he would be reluctant to ask for it to be made public because it’s so graphic. He does intend, however, to let the families of those involved screen the video.

All but one of the 31 homicide cases this year have been cleared with arrests, Joyce said. Two of the 29 instances were double murders. The previous record of 30 was set in 1993. That’s the year that Fort Bragg Army Sgt. Kenneth French, Jr. killed four people at Luigi’s Italian Restaurant, including the owners Pete and Ethel Parrous. French was convicted following a lengthy trial in Wilmington, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

James Palenick has been in Fayetteville less than a year. He is the City of Fayetteville’s new Economic and Business Development Director. It’s his job to understand where the community is headed. Palenick, 57, brings a lot of top-shelf experience with him. He’s served as a city manager in half a dozen communities over 27 years. He was recruited for the new post that city council created a year or so ago from Dallas, N.C., and has been here since March.

Palenick has been working quietly behind the scenes as he gets acclimated to the Greater Fayetteville area. When it comes to developing the community’s economy, “what’s missing is a common vision,” he said. Most importantly, though, is that “Fayetteville is an unproven market” to outside developers and bankers. He said he understands why the Durham firm that wants to bring the former Prince Charles Hotel building back to life could not attract any of the 10 banks they approached to finance the $15 million renovation project. Instead, Prince Charles Holdings, LLC, is getting a conditional loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to cover much of the renovation’s cost. 

There are few things more financially challenging, Palenick says, than the adaptive reuse of a historic building. Financiers would much rather fund new structures than risk money on older buildings. Palenick predicts the Prince Charles project, coupled with the construction of a state-of-the-art $33-million baseball stadium will fuel tens of millions of dollars in local downtown investment. He agrees with other city officials that the multi-purpose minor league stadium has the potential to attract as many as 250 events a year. For starters, there are the 72 baseball home games. In the off season, soccer, football, concerts and the presence of a 360-degree stadium concourse will attract thousands. 

He believes the $24 million realignment of Bragg Boulevard, Murchison Road and West Rowan Street along with the new Rowan Street railroad overpass will spur development in what’s known as Catalyst Site 1 nearby.  That work, which will take three years to complete, is getting underway this month. A catalyst site by definition is the core or nucleus of a commercial development area. Palenick predicts that once these projects are completed, downtown Fayetteville will have become a proven market for high-dollar development.  “Five years down the road, Fayetteville will be perceived much differently,” he said.

Palenik tells Up & Coming Weeklythat the perception from afar is that Greater Fayetteville’s leaders have not found a common vision and are willing to set egos aside. “That’s what Fayetteville is struggling with,” he said. He says he’s been a change agent all his career. “I find great fulfillment in trying to make the community better.” As for his part in all of this, “it’s very early yet. This is not the speed I was accustomed to moving,” he says. But at this point in his career, he’s patient.      

President-Elect Trump apparently isn’t accustomed to having his plane denied landing at a local airport. But that was the case in Fayetteville last week. He mentioned it with some chagrin as he greeted the crowd at his “Thank You Tour” rally at the Crown Coliseum. He told the crowd gathered for the rally the road trip was why he was late arriving. Fayetteville Regional Airport Director Brad Whitted said the instrument landing system (ILS) was not working. He said the FAA was working on the system, but that the inclement weather resulted in minimums below normal for so-called instrument landings. Trump’s 747 was diverted to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. He told the crowd gathered for the rally the road trip was why he was late arriving. “As weather improved…he was able to reposition his aircraft to Fayetteville for his departure,” Whitted said.

Evans Wins County Leadership Post

Rarely does the election of an organization vice-president upstage that of the president, but the selection this month of Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans as board V.P. for the coming year surprised many. Commissioner Glenn Adams was elected chairman by acclamation. Adams, elected from District One, has been on the board of commissioners for two years. Evans has been on the board six years. He was elected countywide … twice but was never before nominated for a top post. Evans was nominated by outgoing Chairman Marshall Faircloth. Commissioner Jimmy Keefe was also nominated, by Commissioner Larry Lancaster. But Evans won the day in a 4-3 vote. If decades of tradition are followed next year, Evans will become chairman of the board.

 

 

 

Public Art Brings Color to  Downtown

Those peculiar sculptures you’ve seen downtown are pieces of art. The public display was formally introduced during a ribbon cutting at the Arts Council Dec. 13. Eleven pieces of public art have been placed around downtown and will remain until October.  The artists and artwork are varied. Phil Hathcock’s piece “Windstone” made with aluminum, copper and brass echoes the sounds of clacking bamboo when good breezes blow near the Fayetteville Area Transportation & Local History Museum. Other locations include City Hall, The Arts Council and Festival Park. Support for the project has been provided by private donors with matching funding from the Arts Council. 

 

 

 

 

Fire Marshall Addresses Safesty Concerns

At least 36 people have been confirmed dead in the conflagration that gutted a converted warehouse during an Oakland, Calif. dance party. After firefighters put out the blaze, the building was deemed too unsafe for emergency responders to immediately enter. Officials say the roof collapsed onto the second floor and then parts of that collapsed onto the first floor. The City of Oakland had opened an investigation before the fire into the use of the building and now the district attorney has launched a criminal investigation.

In Fayetteville, Fire Marshall Michael Martin noted this city has many older buildings that once were warehouses. Some of them have been re-designed and brought up to code for repurposing. But others remain abandoned and vacant. “Modern building and fire codes require certain safety requirements,” said Martin. “A building housing a warehouse would have different code requirements than a large space designed to accommodate hundreds of people,” he added. Martin noted that North Carolina’s fire code was adopted only after the 1991 Hamlet, N.C., chicken processing plant fire. Twenty-five employees died and 55 were injured in the fire. The Fayetteville Fire Department urges property owners and event managers to ensure their buildings are code compliant and properly permitted for specific uses before hosting large parties and concerts. 

 

Park Smart While Shopping

The Fayetteville Police Department reminds shoppers to “Park Smart” this holiday shopping season. They say most thefts from motor vehicles occur because they’re left unlocked. “It is important to turn off your vehicle, take your keys, lock your vehicle, remove valuables, including firearms and do not leave anything of value in plain sight,” said Officer Shawn Strepay in a news release. He said thieves tend to watch motorists in parking lots to take advantage of those who are careless. Police suggest that if you place recently purchased items in the trunk of your car, it’s a good idea to move the car to another area just in case you’re being watched. Be alert and report suspicious activity by calling 911. If you’re leaving town for the holiday, register with the police for a house check on the FayPD.com website. Officers who patrol your neighborhood will conduct security checks while you’re away. 

 

 

DOT Celebrates Widening of Murchison Road

City of Fayetteville, Town of Spring Lake and Fort Bragg officials were joined by those of the of the State Department of Transportation Friday to cut the ribbon on the newly-installed section of Murchison Road between Spring Lake and Fayetteville. The highway was widened to six lanes from the Fayetteville Outer Loop to north of N.C. 24/87/210 in Spring Lake. The stretch from the Outer Loop to Honeycutt Road is already complete, and the section from Honeycutt Road to north of N.C. 24/87/210 is nearing completion. The work on this $32.3 million project began three years ago. Completion is scheduled for the end of this month. The widening of Murchison Road was necessary to support the closure of Bragg Boulevard through Fort Bragg. The boulevard closed to northbound traffic in August and all traffic in September. It was funded jointly through NCDOT and the Department of Defense (Defense Access Road Program). This work coincides with the completion of several key sections of the Fayetteville Outer Loop.

 

 

 

 

The opening line of the welcome to my website says, “After all my years of living, there are still some things I do not understand.” That is, I cannot make sense of, cannot reason my way to some conclusions reflected in the actions or words of others. The 2016 presidential election and follow-on are presenting me with a multitude of things I do not understand. Allow me to share one of these happenings that confound me.

Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. He won the Electoral College by a substantial margin (306 to 232). He did not win the popular vote. That edge went to Hillary Clinton by over 2 million votes. Secretary Clinton conceded the election to Trump. Her campaign said they had not found reason to suspect any irregularities in the voting process. The White House takes the same position. Then, at the last minute, Dr. Jill Stein, who ran as the Green Party candidate, calls for and gets a recount of votes in Wisconsin. By the time this column is published, she might have done the same in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Why would Stein call for these recounts? This question is especially relevant since she only received 33,006 votes in Wisconsin. An article by Erick Mack titled “Jill Stein Officially Funds, Files For Wisconsin Recount” reports, as follows, based on accounts in the Wall Street Journal:

‘“After a divisive and painful presidential race, reported hacks into voter and party databases and individual email accounts are causing many American to wonder if our election results are reliable,” Stein wrote in a statement Tuesday. “These concerns need to be investigated before the 2016 presidential election is certified. We deserve elections we can trust.”’ Stein added according to The Journal:” “’We are not attempting to overthrow Donald Trump, and Idon’t expect that that will be the outcome.’”

In the third general election presidential debate, Trump was asked if he would accept the election results. His response was that he would make that decision when the election was concluded. Hillary Clinton and media types were outraged that Trump did not commit to accept the results. They lambasted him for days. Given the overwhelming negative media response to Trump’s refusal to commit to accept election results, I would expect the same media response in this case. Nothing... media is quiet. Now word comes that the Clinton campaign organization will be represented in the Wisconsin and any other Stein-initiated recounts. 

A Newsmax article titled “Clinton Campaign Will Participate in Jill Stein’s State Recounts” attributes the following quotes to Clinton’s campaign lawyer, Mark Elias, from a post on the blogging website Medium.com:

“’We believe we have an obligation to the more than 64 million Americans who cast ballots for Hillary Clinton to participate in ongoing proceedings to ensure that an accurate vote count will be reported,’” Elias said.

“‘We do so fully aware that the number of votes separating Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the closest of these states — Michigan — well exceeds the largest margin ever overcome in a recount,’” Elias said. “‘But regardless of the potential to change the outcome in any of the states, we feel it is important, on principle, to ensure our campaign is legally represented in any court proceedings and represented on the ground in order to monitor the recount process itself.’”

“The Democrat’s campaign didn’t plan to initiate recounts on its own because it hasn’t found ‘any actionable evidence of hacking or outside attempts to alter the voting technology,’ Elias wrote.”

Jill Stein estimates the recounts will cost about $7 million. States must be reimbursed for their costs. Stein has made it clear any amount raised above required payments to states will go to Green Party efforts. 

Stein’s call for a recount in Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, make no sense to me. Beyond making no sense, this episode shows a lack of reasoning and the possibility of a financial scam on the part of Jill Stein. Add to this the hypocrisy of Hillary Clinton and the media. As though all of this is not enough, media bias against Trump, and in favor of Clinton, shows through again in this situation.

This is just one example of what I cannot make sense of regarding the 2016 presidential election and follow-on events. It troubles me, drains me, that there is a long listing of similar “makes no sense” situations. Pick one: (1) Protests, even violent protests, opposing the election of Trump with no clear aim that simply divide America even more than was already the case; (2)Mayors who are defying Donald Trump in his intention to end sanctuary cities, which means they refuse to cooperate with federal authorities regarding immigration matters.  On and on the list goes. 

Not being able to make sense of these kinds of happenings wears heavily on me, but I recently saw a glimmer of hope. Myron Pitts, a columnist for the Fayetteville Observer, makes no secret about not being a Trump supporter. However, in a column titled “Myron B. Pitts: It’s time to focus on what really matters,” Pitts talks about his routine after an election and then about his son crawling into bed with him and his wife early Wednesday morning after Pitts had processed Tuesday’s election. After describing how his son complicates the sleep process, Pitts says he was happy to see his son Wednesday morning and writes:

“I’m about giving a president a chance to show me whether he knows what he’s doing. That extends to President-elect Trump. You would have to be short-sighted to want the leader to fail of the country in which you are living. As I mentioned, I have a family - which includes a little girl, Helen Ann, and a kitty-cat, Gus. I want my children to be safe and have opportunities, and I think that makes me about like 99 percent of parents out there, at least among the ones who are trying.”

In his column, Myron Pitts puts forth the thought process that Jill Stein, Hillary Clinton, Clinton surrogates, media, and all who seem willing to jeopardize the future of America because of their opposition to President-elect Trump should take on. My struggle to understand much of what is happening in our country is draining, but I see hope not only in Pitts’ column but in the course being pursued by Donald Trump. 

God, save and bless America.

I look forward to them every Sunday — wedding announcements published in the New York Timesfull of juicy details about the happy couples rarely found in other publications. The NYTdoes not charge brides and grooms to print their happy news. Instead, it requires a submission form, which asks the usual questions about hometowns, educations, parents and occupations. It also asks squishier questions about how the couple met, fell in love and decided to commit to each other for a lifetime. Rarely does the Times dwell on who wore what, ate what or carried which flowers.

In other words, it prints the dish everyone wants to know, and if you want your wedding announcement published in the Times, you have to give up the real skinny of how you and your darling got to the altar. Some of these accounts are nothing short of wonderful, particularly those of the couples featured each Sunday for a longer exposition of their relationship, complete with quotes and candid photographs.

Here is some of what I have learned about newlyweds in the NYT.

Randi Dennett and Barry Altmark met and were best buddies in pre-school and say they were inseparable. But something totally out of their control occurred when they were six. Randi’s family moved to another town an hour away and even though Barry pined, the families eventually lost touch. But Barry never forgot his friend and confesses to looking her up on Facebook during high school. When he was preparing to go to college at Cornell University, a friend mentioned that her assigned roommate, also at Cornell, was a girl named Randi Dennett. After he recovered from the shock, Barry picked up the phone and called her. They went to dinner, then college together. Says Randi, “I was so happy. I was head over heels from the second I saw him.” Randi remembers thinking, “Good. I’m done. He’s it. It was meant to be.” They married last month in New York.

Anna Comte, who turns out to be a great granddaughter of Anne and Charles Lindburgh, married Ryan Hodgdon the first Saturday of December in Charleston. They met two years ago at an Oysterfest in Atlanta but got off to a rocky start because the future groom had already “celebrated” too enthusiastically and realized he could not actually converse with Anna. They reconnected days later on Facebook, enjoyed an oyster dinner and each other, and the rest is wedding history. The couple is pictured walking down a path shaded by trees hung with Spanish moss.

Ames Brown is handsome enough to have been a contestant on television’s The Bachelorette, although he was not the bachelor chosen. Embarrassed by the entire experience and definitely not looking for love, Ames signed up for a sailing trip in Mexico. So did a reserved young woman named Allison Palm, and the two became friends, traveling companions, and eventually more for five years. Last Christmas, Ames surprised Allison while she was visiting her family by ambushing her in a local drug store where he proposed. They married late last summer.

Food plays a big role in romance, it seems. Here are two love stories centering on yumminess.

Shelby Stevens and Chris Long, both chefs, dated for years and wanted to marry, but restaurant life is demanding and they never quite found the time until last month. Says Long, “We’re like fresh, warm bread and soft sweet butter. We’re really good on our own, but when you add them together, it’s like…that’s amazing!” To celebrate their happiness, Shelby walked down the aisle to “The Winner Is..” from the movie Little Miss Sunshine.

Rebecca Roth owned a popular restaurant in Boston and loved her work. Stephen Quello, a devoted diner, became her most faithful customer, and things developed from there. To propose, Stephen cooked his sweetie a fancy dinner and dimmed the lights. When the bride-to-be arrived, she got the idea of what might be afoot and began crying. Marshaling his romantic skills, Stephen asked, “Do you want to eat? Or do you want to talk business?”

This week’s couple is Jenna Miksis and Jason Canavan who met two years ago when Jason was singing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” during an Irish bar’s karaoke night. Jenna was more impressed with his looks than his singing, but their relationship grew to the point that Jason, suffering from dengue fever contracted in Belize, dragged himself to her place so as not to disappoint her. He was wearing his pajama bottoms. Jenna and Jason married last Saturday in a self-uniting ceremony in Philadelphia.

It is worth noting that the NYT also runs stories on ongoing relationships and a column on relationships that do not last, called “Unhitched.”

I have no idea why people decide to lay bare unique details of their most intimate relationships for all the world to savor, but they do make compelling and affirming reading. Perhaps they are just so happy they simply want to share. We wish them all much happiness and good times together … or apart.

I cannot think of a time more crucial to the needs of the residents in our community than this Christmas season. With tens of thousands celebrating the holiday season with family and friends, it’s heartbreaking to know that hundreds of our residents are still displaced and without homes because of the ravages of Hurricane Matthew. Christmas will not be so merry for many.

However, if there is a silver lining to this cloud it is the heartwarming outreach of the people, businesses, churches and organizations of this community who have stepped up with time, talent, food, clothing, household supplies and money to assist those devastated by this catastrophe. And, the way Fayetteville, Cumberland County, Fort Bragg, United Way, Red Cross and Salvation Army and many other local organizations all rallied together to bring support and comfort to those victims. It is heartwarming.  

With people still without homes and residing in motels, raising awareness and raising money has taken on a high priority. Organizations like the Salvation Army who need money more now than ever. Thank goodness, this is the season for their annual kettle and bell-ringing efforts. Many volunteers from churches and community civic clubs all pitch in to participate in this extremely essential annual tradition. And, it’s fun ringing the bell, wishing passersby a Merry Christmas, acknowledging them for even the smallest contribution while making it a very, very big deal with an even bigger “thank you.” This is a unique and rewarding experience. 

The Fayetteville Kiwanis Club (Est. 1920) proudly took on that bell-ringing project with the Salvation Army in 1975 when Cross Creek Mall first opened its doors. Supporting the Salvation Army was an important project for the Mall and the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club, and they never missed a Christmas Season ringing the bell in 40 years. Well, that was until this year. Enter the Grinch! Unfortunately, with approximately 72 hours to the big bell-ringing event on Saturday, Dec. 10, the Kiwanis Club was notified that they had lost their regular bell ringing location of 40 years and were asked to move the Salvation Army Kettle to a location at the main entrance to the Macy’s department store.

Well, you would think that Macy’s, with their notable history of holiday traditions, would have been the perfect location to share the Christmas spirit and Salvation Army outreach. Not so much. Enter another Grinch! Matter of fact, to the surprise of the Kiwanis Club, the Salvation Army kettle was not welcome at their store. So, in the spirit of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,Macy’s and Cross Creek Mall (owned by CBL Associates), together, destroyed a 40-year-old Fayetteville community tradition in spite of the Christmas season, the good works of the Salvation Army and the desperate needs of the community.

Wow! This surely gives a new meaning to “shop local”. It is amazing how hard these national chains and businesses work to disconnect themselves from local communities.  Where do they think their business comes from? Well, thanks to some fast thinking and hard work by Bob McAmis, a very dedicated Kiwanian, and the wonderful folks at the Cumberland County Salvation Army, they were able to secure a new location outside Sam’s Club off Skibo Road. It was there that we celebrated our 41st year of bell ringing for the Salvation Army. 

We appreciate what Sam’s Club did for us, the Salvation Army and the needy folks in this community. It was a great day, a great experience and we raised a lot of money. We also learned who our friends are. We notified Cross Creek Mall and CBL with a letter and copied Macy’s in hopes that at least an apology would be in order. Probably not. Oh well!  

Thank you, Sam Walton, and thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Legacies. World leaders and captains of industry frame decisions in terms of how their actions will affect their legacy. Most high school students base their decisions on how their actions will affect their weekend and after school plans. When Ryan Patrick Kishbaugh was in high school he probably wasn’t thinking about his legacy. It’s been 13 years since Ryan died, but his legacy of hope and determination continues to change lives. His family could have chosen to mourn him privately. Instead, they choose to celebrate him publicly. On Dec. 2016 Ryan’s Reindeer Run 2016 starts at the Medical Arts Complex Field in Downtown Fayetteville. It is a celebration of life and hope and all the things Ryan stood for and dreamed of in his short life. 

Like many local residents, it was the Army that brought Ryan’s family to Fayetteville. They stayed and made it home. Ryan prospered here. He played soccer and basketball. He believed in helping his fellow man and even won the 2001 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. He graduated second in his high school class and was accepted to Princeton University. Then, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Ryan died 15 months later at the age of 18 from complications of a bone marrow transplant. But even during  the fight for his life, Ryan gave everything he had — and wrote a book about it, too. 

Ryan’s book, called Run Because You Can — My Personal Race with Cancer, talks about the challenges he faced dealing with his illness during his senior year of high school. It covers how he faced challenges and tried to keep his life as normal as possible while dealing with his illness. It is an inspiring peek into the heart and mind of a fighter.

Ryan’s Reindeer Run is a 5k walk/run that benefits the Ryan P. Kishbaugh Memorial Foundation as well as other charities that help cancer patients and children in need. Since its inception in 2003, the foundation has given more than $150,000 to local non-profits in Ryan’s memory. 

This is a popular event with between 800-1,000 runners each year, so consider registering early. It is festive and family-friendly – bring your friends.  Bring the kids, strollers, too. Bring the dog (on a leash). One of the things that makes this run so much fun is the costume contest. There are prizes for the top three pet finishers and their owners, top three family finishers, best costumed runners and the top three strollers and runners and best decorated strollers.

“We are excited for another successful year of the run. Based on the early registration, it looks like we’ll have a great crowd again,” said Roberta Humphries, Ryan’s mom and race coordinator. “We are eager to see the creative group costumes again.”

She added that “another thing I’m excited about having to do with Ryan is that Victoria Cameron, the former Headmaster at Fayetteville Academy, has contacted various university libraries and over 40 university and college libraries have accepted Ryan’s book including Princeton Ryan would have gone to school.”

There are prizes for the top three overall male and female finishers and the top three male and female finishers in the following age divisions: under 13, 13-16, 17-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69 and 70 and over. All under 13 participants receive a finisher’s award. Teams are encouraged to compete as well. There is a team trophy presented to the school, club or organization with the largest number of participants. Not based on time but on the number of registrants. Include the name of the organization on the entry form. Minimum of 10 entries to be considered a group. 

It’s become a tradition for Humphries  to search out reindeer-themed trophies to hand out to the winners each year. 

The route has a few hills and is challenging by design. Even though this is a fun event, Humphries wants people to remember that life is challenging, too. The course leaves the Medical Arts Building parking lot and goes up Haymount Hill and through the Haymount neighborhoods. 

Race registration costs between $20 for individuals under the age of 13 running the 5k and $130 for a family of six members running the 5k. Package pickup is Friday, Dec. 16 from 5-8 p.m. at Breezewood Healthcare, which is located at 200 Forsythe Street, Packets are also available Saturday, Dec. 17 at the race site from 7 – 8:30 a.m. The race starts at 8:30 a.m. The awards ceremony is at 9:30 a.m. 

Register at active.com. Find out more about Ryan at http://www.ryansreindeerrun.com.